1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to dental instruments. More particularly, the invention relates to a dental instrument having a handle employable with any one of a plurality of engageable tools or instrument heads. The handle has a distal end which is formed to operatively engage the heads which are rotationally positionable by the user, to a customized configuration of the assembled device yielding a head-positioning for employment during the dental task at hand. The handle, so configured, can engage any of the plurality of instrument heads which are adapted to perform particular dental procedures. The kit of heads also can include a sharpener for the heads.
2. Prior Art
Dentists and dental professionals employ a wide range of instruments when providing dental treatment to patients. Many instruments are handheld and thus require precise positioning and movement skills of a dental professional to manipulate correctly. Such tools generally have handles with tooled tips at a distal end and are commonly employed to examine, manipulate, restore and remove teeth, tooth materials, plaque, adhesives, and other tasks on adjacent and surrounding oral structures.
Such instruments typically comprise such an elongated handle with a specific instrument head engaged at one end in a fixed engagement and adapted to perform the dental task intended. Conventionally, they are formed from stainless steel or other material which can necessitate, and survive, sterilization (for example in an autoclave) for a proper reuse. Examples of dental instruments and tools configured as head types include mirrors, probes, retractors, burs, excavators, scalpels, burnishers, pluggers, curettes, forceps, elevators, chisels, and many others.
Conventionally, such instrument handles employ head portions which are unitarily formed to a single structure, or otherwise permanently engaged to a distal end to form a single instrument. This construction provides a sturdy one-piece structure and is desired in that manner because of the significant force sometimes communicated to the handle by the dental professional in the removal or forming of dental structures which might bend the instrument were it not formed in a sturdy fashion. However, as a result, many dental professionals must maintain a large quantity of instruments, and because of multiple daily patients, and sterilization requirements, most dental offices will typically stock a multiple of each type instrument.
As such, a large amount of space is needed to store and clean these instruments which can be quite difficult in small offices or locations with little room accommodating the storage and sterilization requirements. Further, the need to maintain a large quantity of such instruments, many in duplication or multiple copies, is a constant and significant cost to dental practices.
In addition, many professionals choose to sharpen their tools in house. This requires sharpening apparatuses which are conventionally bulky, as they must be configured to accommodate the instrument handle and head portion. Again accommodating for such sharpening, requires a significant amount of office space, which may not be available for all users. Even if such space is available, commercial rental rates to procure such space which will not accommodate paying clients is significant.
Further, because the use of such tools is as much an art as an acquired skill, different dental professionals want the tool end of their instruments, bent, sharpened, and other wise configured to their individual configurations. Such individualized configurations may not be preferred by other dental professionals participating in the same venue. This can result in further expense for duplication and replacement of such tools to accommodate individual user desire.
As a consequence, the employment of handles with removable heads and tools, has risen as one potential solution to some of the aforementioned problems. An example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 634,732 to Ivory, as well as others which teach the employment of dental instruments which have heads or tools which may be removably engageable to the handles. Means for such removable engagement can include instrument heads employing threaded collars for engagement to threads operatively positioned at a distal end of the handles, as well as others means for removable engagement.
In such prior art as Ivory, the user can removably engage and interchange various head types as needed for the task at hand. Therefor the user may stock fewer handles along with a plurality of various instrument heads, noting that the heads are typically smaller than the handles and therefor easier to store and sanitize in large quantities. In many instances the instrument heads are simply discarded and replaced after use.
One skilled in the art can easily ascertain the many downfalls which exist with conventional means for removable engagement of instrument heads to handles. Firstly, as noted, such instruments frequently require a large amount of force be communicated to accomplish their task. Converse to imparting increased force is the need for placement and positioning in very precise movements in the delicate environment of a patient's mouth. As a consequence, many such handles with engageable heads to function as tools, will buckle or move in their engagement under such force.
Further, the dental professional must employ the various dental instruments, while manipulated in their hands, to position the head and tool portion thereof, at various angles in the crowded mouth during use. Once in proper angled alignment with work to be done, the tool then is manipulated often with twisting or curving motions, and under force. Such motions with the tool end of the handle engaged in work, frequently causes a conventional threaded engagement, to unscrew and disengage, or to move a small or large amount, which is not only frustrating to the dental professional, but can be dangerous to the patient.
As such the users must take great care to ensure the instrument head remains securely engaged to the handle in order to reduce the risk of the head inadvertently becoming loose or disengaged during use. Absent such caution, such dental instruments even in the hand of skilled professionals can potentially cause serious injury to the patient or to the user. Frequently, instruments taught by prior art fail to provide adequate force-resistant engagement and assurance to the user they will not move or dismount during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,964 to Dee et. al teaches means for rotatable frictional engagement of a scalpel to a handle providing angular adjustment of the scalpel. This allows the user to vary the attack angle of the instrument head and therefor allow employment of the device at various angles. However, this and similar devices suffer from the downfalls of conventional threaded removable engagement, and frictional engagement means, to engage the tool itself to the distal end of the handle, and thus are fraught with potential problems noted above.
As such, there is a continuing unmet need, for a dental instrument handle device, providing multiple instrument heads all adapted with means for removable and rotationally positionable engagement of instrument heads to the handle. Such a device should provide means for a secured positive engagement of the head onto the handle which will handle the large amount of force imparted to dental tools, yet still allow the user to employ it in the delicate movements required. Further, preferably such a device should provide a means for rotational engagement of the head portion with the distal end of the handle portion, which allows the user to adjust the angle of the tool on the head to then be secured at such a desired positioning for individual patient mouth structures and work thereon. In addition, such a device should advantageously be providable to the user in a kit form, wherein one handle component is configured at a working end for operative operational engagement with any of a plurality of removably engaged instrument heads. Finally, such a device should be provided with a sharpening component which remedies the aforementioned need for excess rental space.
The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.